Times Like These
by Leah Pensotti
Summary: Cooper Johnson longs for his home on the beaches of North Carolina. He has lost everyone he's known to the outbreak, and heads to DC. Life in Alexandria drains him, but when Rick and his group arrives, he starts having dreams about beachcombing with one Rosita Espinosa. Male OC! More to come? Dedicated to Stormrunner 74.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is meant as a work of fanfiction, no infringement intended to AMC, Kirkman, Moore, et al.

 **Times Like These**

 **By Leah Pensotti**

Cooper had spent a lot of time on the beaches of North Carolina. He grew up near Raleigh, but had a deep love for the ocean, ever since his parents first took him to the Outerbanks as a child. The Lighthouses, sea glass, jellyfish and the smell of Coppertone sun lotion all amounted to a great need of gravitating further towards the Atlantic coast.

It was a shock to no one when he got into UNC, but ended up dropping out his sophomore year to live in the area in between Carolina and Kure beaches, working in surf shops and restaurants. Of course, his parents had been upset to raise a glorified beach bum, but Cooper lived happily for about eight years; fishing and surfing and generally enjoying life in the sun.

Besides, his parents had his younger twin sisters Heidi and Hannah to do them proud by them both graduating in pre-med courses.

Of course, Heidi and Hannah...even his parents were dead. Just like a majority of the population.

When the outbreak happened, everyone headed to the major cities. Cooper and his boss from the surf shop, Theo had made it to Richmond as the cities collapsed and crumbled, no government existed to help them survive. They thought being close to Washington, D.C. would help them find some sort of structure...civilization. After burning cities and complete chaos, Cooper and Theo had found some semblance of civilization after surviving for almost one hundred days in the deserted capital.

They met two men, one named Aaron and the other named Eric. They had pictures of a town...with walls. Solar energy panels. Even running water.

For most of a year, Cooper and Theo worked with Tobin on the construction crew in the safe zone of Alexandria. It was like _Pleasantville_. Town meetings, a food pantry...they even got their own homes, sort of. They ended up sharing with another man on the construction crew named Ethan. The three of them lived like bachelors for the most part. Ramen noodles and red beans and rice.

Even though he was thankful to be alive, Cooper started to wonder why he had left the shore. He could've fished, lived out his life in the quiet on the beach. He missed it dearly, sometimes he dreamed about the water...the slapping of the tide on the sand, the constant sound like a heartbeat...his heartbeat.

Life in Virginia, especially in the slightly Stepford town of Alexandria had made life rote, gray. Full of muscle memory. Get up, work, eat, work some more. Stand on the wall and keep watch. Wash, rinse and repeat.

His life had gone from doing exactly what he wanted to do, to doing nothing of what he wanted to do in suburbia during the apocalypse. He never told Theo his soul was silently being strangled, and that he wanted to go home to the sea post haste.

Cooper Johnson was just happy to be alive.

He guessed.

After almost a year in Alexandria, Aaron returned with a whole mess of new people. Their leader, Rick, seemed like a rather scary dude. Hair-triggered and wild-eyed. A lot of crazy shit went down...basically zero violence to excessive violence; Pete Anderson being beaten in the street,Aiden Monroe dying on a supply run, Reg Monroe getting his throat slashed...and then the gruesome death of Pete Anderson infront of the entire town.

For awhile, no one could make heads or tails of the group that had just arrived. They had been out there too long.

Cooper had been able to dispose of those...things...biters, walkers, whatever; but he had never taken a human life. Rick Grimes liked to talk about other groups coming and taking their supplies, their homes...their people. Other living people who had made it this far would find Alexandria and want it...and would probably attempt to take it at any costs.

Then the herd moved through. About two thousand dead ones. They tried to lead them away, they built walls.

A lot of their folks met their end.

Including Ethan and Theo.

Theo was the one person who he could connect to through all of this, the one person he had knew before.

And now he was gone.

His last remaining friend was Spencer Monroe. Eldest child of Congresswoman Deanna Monroe and Reg Monroe, brother to Aiden. Now, he too was all that was left of his people. The first few nights, they spent the time together listening to music and drinking their faces off.

Despite their ages; Cooper was thirty and Spencer was twenty-eight, they had very little in common. Spencer graduated with honors from college. Spencer was a frat boy. Cooper on the other hand, didn't mind working for minimum wage and tips if it meant maintaining his home between the two beaches. He didn't need much; just some strong coffee, sunshine and sand. Maybe some waves.

But somehow, they became friends. Well, friends enough at the end of the world.

After the herd, Cooper worked hard with what was left of the construction team to rebuild the walls and fix the tower. At night he spent on the walls, watching for the inevitable alongside Spencer or Rosita.

It was clear that Rosita Espinosa had come wrapped in a tough-girl package. Cooper was quiet by nature, he didn't really speak unless he was spoken to. He preferred to hang back and read the room...take notice of people. Who they really were.

Rosita was a hard nut to crack.

When she was first introduced to him through her boyfriend, Abraham, she just smirked and told said, "Cooper Johnson. You have two last names."

He did, actually. Cooper was his mother's maiden name.

He tried to understand what had brought Rosita and Abraham together, other than it being the end of the world and they seemed to be "the fittest" of what they had come from. She sported pigtails and short shorts along with gold hoop earrings. Curious dress for a woman in the apocalypse, he had to note. Abraham was quite a bit older than her...red headed and mustachioed, former military. He talked frankly and was a tank of a man, far different from Cooper who was tall and skinny with a sandy blond mop.

Since leaving the beach, though, Cooper had to admit that Rosita was the most interesting thing he had seen.

Spencer seemed to think so, too.

One night, while they were keeping watch, Spencer nudged him with his elbow, "You know what, man. Part of me wishes some hot chicks with guns would show up. Like something from a cheesy, 80's action flick. Bikini's and cigars...maybe one with an eye patch riding a tank. All the ladies that have come through are all paired up, or like other ladies. Which would make for a great story, if my frat brothers were still alive and Facebook still existed."

Cooper laughed lightly, pulling up the hood on his blue sweatshirt...the cold was something he was still getting used to, "You're here at the end of the world in a horror movie, and you're wishing for some sort of Cinemax after hours movie. I wish we could just change the damn channel."

Spencer shrugged and adjusted the rifle he held at his chest, "What would you wish for? If you had a wish that would come true?"

He thought about it for a few moments and he looked up at the Virginia sky, "The beach, man. Sunrise on Kure Beach. The tide coming in. The sand. Peace and quiet. Knowing that my parents were working nine to fives in Raleigh while my sisters changed the world in medical school. Just knowing that would make me feel better."

Cooper had lost contact with his parents just days after the outbreak. Heidi and Hannah, although only medical students, were needed in hospitals treating the infected. Hannah had gotten sick, last he had heard, before the phones stopped working, before the bombs were dropped on major cities.

If this was all there was, if fighting and surviving was all that was left; Cooper wanted to die by the beach...the sound of the tide slapping the shore in his ears, lulling him into whatever came after this world.

Spencer nodded, "That sounds nice. But hot chicks riding a tank in bikinis sound better."

Cooper took a look at his friend and a wide smile spread across Spencer's face. Cooper couldn't help but laugh, it was a nice break from all the heavy thoughts that weighed on him daily and the homesickness that brewed in his belly...along with the odd dreams of looking for seashells on the beach with one Rosita Espinosa.

He hadn't spent a lot of time analyzing the dreams...he was just hoping that the universe would deem him worth enough to clue him into the meaning at some point.

* * *

A/N: Hi loves. Scrapped most of the ideas I've been laboring over for my Male OC. Turned on some music and did some free writing. Putting this out there, let me know what you think. The title comes from a Jack Johnson song called, "Times Like These", in which Cooper the Beach Bum was born. I like him much better than his original incarnations. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

This story is dedicated to Stormrunner74, who challenged me!

Thanks and Love,

Leah P!

XOXO


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is meant as a work of fanfiction, no infringement intended to AMC, Kirkman, Moore, et al.

 **Times Like These**

 **By Leah Pensotti**

After their shift on the wall, Cooper went back to the house that Spencer used to share with his parents. They had made a habit of drinking what was left of his father's whiskey and his mother's wine. Nevermind that it was dawn and the sun was creeping over the horizon.

Spencer liked to play music, while all Cooper could think about was somehow getting back home, even if he died trying. He could make it, he thought if he traveled quietly and alone. He had a good handle on the reanimated dead, but he couldn't say the same for the groups of the living that were out for blood. He could run, but he wasn't muscular like some of the guys who survived. Cooper was tall and lanky, his sisters used to tease him that he looked like Shaggy on _Scooby-Doo_.

His friend's hand tapped his shoulder and he handed Cooper a whiskey on the rocks, "Where you at, Man?"

Cooper thanked him and shrugged, "I, uh, I mean...do you think it's possible to make it safely to North Carolina? Alone?"

Spencer looked a little concerned and raised an eyebrow, "You running away, Coop?"

Running away? Is that even possible to do when home was involved?

Cooper tilted his head back and sighed, "This place is crushing me, Spence. I want to go home. I want to be on the beach. If I'm gonna die, then that's where I want to be. Now that Theo's gone...the pull is stronger and stronger. If I can make it back there I can live out my days in relative peace. Right now, Alexandria is all tense and gross...and honestly, Rick Grimes freaks me the fuck out."

Spencer sat down beside him on the couch and he nodded, "Yeah...I know the feeling. My whole family has died since he came; but you can't leave, Coop. We need you...and being on your own is crazy. I know you miss home...but what if...what if things get better here? What if there is a cure or the walkers start dying off?"

He laughed lightly at his friends "what ifs." He couldn't honestly believe there would ever been a cure, it's been over two years. And as for things getting better here, Cooper couldn't see that either. Alexandria was in a precarious position and all that there was left was darkness ahead.

Another reason Cooper longed for home.

Cooper took a pull of the whiskey, the light from the sunrise warming the house, "I guess I'd rather die free by the ocean than under the thumb of some sort of regime. I'll agree things have gotten a bit better since the herd came through, Rick seems to have moved that stick from his ass a little...but it's still there."

Spencer smiled and looked down at his own glass, "I'm not going to try and stop you, but...not to be completely sappy, I'll miss you."

"You could always come with me. You'd love it between the beaches. We could set up traps just like outside of Alexandria. "

"I...just can't. My mom had a dream for this town. I'm the only Monroe left. I feel sort of...an obligation to continue working towards it."

Cooper drank more of his whiskey and nodded, he could understand that for the most part. For a brief moment his mind drifted back to Hannah and Heidi, even though he knew Hannah was probably gone, somewhere in his heart he hoped that Heidi had made it out. That she was safe somewhere in this fucked up world.

When he finished off his drink, Cooper felt the pull of his own bed and he said goodbye to Spencer and promised he would see him again for their night shift on the wall. But first, bed. Then off to the salt mines with the construction crew.

* * *

Rosita awoke around dawn to Abraham sitting on the side of the bed, his head in his hands. Ever since he came back after trying to lead the herd away, she had felt a distance. They had been inseparable since Texas, but things had changed greatly now that there wasn't a mission to get Eugene to D.C. to save the world... and that there were many more people than just the three of them.

He didn't look at her the same way anymore.

He looked lost.

Rosita sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. They were both naked from the night before. Even then, she felt like he was somewhere else.

"Hey. You okay?"

Abraham's head rose slowly and he turned to the side, "Yeah. Gotta get to work. Building that new tower is gonna be a real bitch, that's for damn sure. We could use about thirty more men. At this rate, that son of a bitch is going to take us 'til winter."

She nodded solemnly, knowing that there was more going on in that big, red head of his. Abraham got up and dressed, as Rosita slipped into a terry cloth bathrobe and they both went downstairs to the kitchen. Eugene was already there, drinking coffee and looking like the mulleted robot he was.

He had been toting around a stubby pencil and a telephone book for days, scribbling and marking out like a mad man. Rosita walked to the coffee pot and poured herself some and leaned back on the counter and watched as Abraham just walked out and off to work at the construction site. No kiss, no goodbye...nothing.

Eugene continued to mark in the phone book, but commented between sips from his mug, "I find a marked difference in him. I need his help on a mission...but I am hesitant to ask due to his current state."

Rosita had no sassy quip to respond and thought that she might go talk to Tara before heading to her watch at the gates. She stood tall and caught a glimpse of a curious figure walking down the street through the window.

Cooper Johnson, the man with two last names.

She hadn't talked to him much, but had seen him go the same way every morning, walking away from the Monroe home and towards the house he used to share with Ethan and his friend Theo. Cooper kept mostly to himself, except with Spencer. One afternoon on watch, Spencer had taken Tara's place, and he had told Rosita that Cooper was a surfer and had spent most of his adult life on the beach.

A beach sounded amazing at the moment. She needed a vacation from all of this. All of the doubts she had with Abraham and all the violence, worry and terror that he become the world.

As Cooper walked past the window, he looked up and saw her. Cooper smiled and gave her a little wave. She raised her hand awkwardly, but didn't smile.

Her thoughts were dominated by what was wrong with Abraham, mixed in withthe rogue desire to search for sea shells like she used to when she was little.

* * *

A/N: Hi all! Sorry I've been away for so long. We just moved to South Carolina from Colorado and are trying to sort things out. I'm still looking for a job, but I am now ready to update all my stories. I've missed it and all my readers.

Please drop me a line and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from everyone.

I currently have 4 Walking Dead stories in production and two that are completed. If you love Rick try "Redemption" or "Simple Twists of Fate", if you love Daryl try "The Country Singer" or " The Redhead and the Redneck." If you love them both, try Wallflower".

Super special shout outs to: clduncan (I'm so glad you like Cooper, in the next chapter he will be putting a plan into motion to return home), stormrunner74 (thank you, friend! I hope Cooper does you proud. He is still growing and I'm still getting to know him...but it's been interesting seeing things through his eyes), CLTex (aw thanks! My hope is to make Rosita a bit more sympathetic if not deeper. Thanks for the review!) and to guest (thanks so much! I hope you keep reading!)

Thanks and Love!

Leah P!

xoxo


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is meant as a work of fanfiction, no infringement intended to AMC, Kirkman, Moore, et al.

 **Times Like These**

 **By Leah Pensotti**

Cooper didn't bother eating once he got home, instead he went straight upstairs to his bedroom and fell into bed. Since Ethan and Theo were no longer amongst the living, Cooper didn't spend too much time in the communal areas. There was no reason, that is unless, Spencer came by to hang out. When he turned his to the side, he noticed the conch shell he had brought all the way from the Outerbanks when he was a child. It was the only thing he couldn't imagine leaving behind. It signified his first and truest love...the sand and the ocean.

Sometimes when he couldn't sleep, Cooper would hold the shell up to his ear the way his mother showed him when he was little.

"Listen, Cooper. Listen close. You can hear the ocean."

He had become so traumatized by loss and horror over the past two years, Cooper held the shell up to his ear for comfort and a connection with everything he had ever loved, and subsequently lost.

It seemed that today was no exception.

Cooper leaned over to his bedside table and reached for the conch shell. He laid back down and placed it to his ear. It had become a teddy bear; a security blanket.

Soon, his mind wandered to his days on the beach; the smell of a storm getting to roll in and the gray, tumultuous waves that made for dangerous and thrilling surfing.

He remembered Heidi telling him what the smell was called after the rain came through after a long, hot dry spell: petrichor. Cooper had thought that was the most beautiful word he'd ever heard...and it was also one of his favorite things to experience. Summer at it's finest was a mixture of petrichor and salt air.

Cooper missed his parents and his little sisters terribly. Even if they didn't see each other frequently, it still meant a great deal knowing that they were still out in the world; living.

He was so tired and felt so alone, that he cried himself to sleep. It was the first time since the early days of the outbreak and being on the road since he had allowed himself to do that. Cooper settled into a fitful, ill-at-ease sleep with the shell clutched to his ear; dreams of storms and choppy waters...walkers and gore filled his head.

* * *

There was a loud thumping coming from downstairs; it had to be the front door.

Cooper looked at the clock on his bedside; he'd only been alseep for three hours. As he stumbled out of bed, he placed the conch shell back on the bedside table and walked wearily downstairs to the front door.

When he looked out the front door, he saw El Jefe...the name he and Spencer had jokingly given Rick Grimes. Cooper thought calling him that made him less scary, but when Rick was on his doorstep; his heart could be found in his throat and also thumping in his ears.

Cooper took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. Rick must've noticed the sleep still in his eyes, "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, I had the overnight watch with Spencer...but it's cool. Need to come in?"

Rick shook his head, "No...I was actually coming to ask you about the watch. Heath and Tara are headed out and we need someone to cover Tara's shift with Rosita, it's later in the afternoon."

The idea of standing around with Rosita unnerved Cooper. They had barely spoken since she arrived in town. Mostly because he was struck dumb when he was around her and partially because he was worried that if he looked at her wrong; that Abraham would smash him like the insignificant little bug that he was.

Rick spoke up again, "Well, I suppose we could split the afternoon shift between you and Spencer...every other day. That way you guys get a bit of a break. Does that sound better?"

Cooper nodded, "Yeah, sure. Whatever I can do to help."

"Thanks, Cooper. It will only be til Tara gets back. But we appreciate it. You mind being up first this afternoon?"

He nodded again, the dumb feeling already creeping in, "Sure. I'll be there."

Rick Grimes did something Cooper had never seen him do; he smiled, "Go on back to bed. Sorry I woke you."

Cooper knew that sleep would allude him, knowing that he had to take the first shift with Rosita Espinosa in mere hours after having to first go work with her boyfriend at the construction site.

* * *

She hadn't seen Abraham since he left that morning.

Rosita had been hoping to sneak in some alone time with him; somehow draw him back to her...how they used to be.

It had occurred to her that he may be seeing someone else; but thought that Eugene would tell her if that were true. They lived in a small town, surely someone would spill the beans.

Abraham, who was usually loud and boisterous, had become a silent entity since the night the herd moved through. Since the men that he, Daryl and Sasha had encountered on the road.

When it was clear that she wouldn't be seeing him before her shift on watch, she went ahead and got ready, pulling her dark hair away from her face in a high ponytail. All of this worrying had her somewhere between wan and fired up. They had been through so much together; trying to get Eugene to D.C. to save the world.

Now Abraham Ford felt like a ghost in her bed. He was there; but he wasn't. His mind was traversing a place she couldn't follow...and didn't know if she wanted to.

She left the house with a thermos of coffee and her weapons attached to her hips, only to find that it wasn't Tara waiting for her at the post. It was Cooper Johnson.

Rosita looked up the latter for a moment, not really sure if she was emotionally ready to talk to someone; make nice. Tara at least knew her story...and there was a comfortable silence where neither of them needed to talk unless Tara told one of her bawdy jokes.

With a deep breath; Rosita climbed up the ladder and put down her thermos to pick up the rifle, "Something wrong with Tara?"

Cooper shook his head, "Um...no...she is going on a run with Heath. Rick asked me and Spencer to split the shift every other day til they get back."

She shifted her weight to get comfortable with the rife and nodded, "Doesn't that make a long day for you? You all have overnights, right?"

He nervously brushed his blond hair out of his eyes and smiled, "Seems like I got nothing but time these days , Rosita."

She realized this was the longest they had talked at length. Rosita wasn't much on getting to know people. Emotions just led to ties; and ties just led to heartbreak in this world. If she got to know people; she would feel their absence when they got killed.

The way she saw it, she had tried to stop any sort of emotion somewhere around Terminus.

What followed was a quiet, almost awkward shift. They shared her coffee, which he seemed grateful for as the fall was rolling in and at Virginia evenings were getting cooler and cooler by the day.

* * *

A/N: hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! I have to admit I'm having a hard time writing Rosita. I'm hoping to do some research and get acquainted with her a little more. Cooper is coming a bit more naturally to me. Up next: Cooper hatches a plan and Rosita shares a watch with Spencer.

Please drop me a line as I'd love to hear from you!

Shout outs go to: FromTheClouds (I miss Colorado greatly. I've spent my adult life there. I had zero allergy problems, and it seems like I am rife with them in SC. I grew up in Alabama and Virginia as a kid, but went to CO at 18 for college. I forgot about the humidity :(. But yes, CO is amazing. If it weren't for my hubby's big opportunity, I'd still be there! I'm glad you like Cooper! Thanks for the review!), Guest (Thank you for the kind words! I'm not sure if I could write Daryl with her. I have a few OC stories with Daryl and I would feel odd, lol!) and Stormrunner74 (I'm so glad you're liking it. I feel good with Cooper, but worried about writing Rosita. I need to get to know her a little better. Maybe on Heidi ;)

Thanks and Love,

Leah P!

xoxo


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